Some people believe that the builder of this manor killed his wife. Guests have reported voices and sometimes see apparitions.
(Submitted by Chris Berglund)
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- 370 High Street
Pewaukee, Wisconsin
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 43.087808668898894, -88.2651761769921
- County:
- Waukesha County, Wisconsin
- Nearest Towns:
- Pewaukee, WI (0.5 mi.)
Sussex, WI (3.9 mi.)
Hartland, WI (4.1 mi.)
Merton, WI (4.6 mi.)
Waukesha, WI (5.5 mi.)
Lannon, WI (6.4 mi.)
Chenequa, WI (6.6 mi.)
Nashotah, WI (7.0 mi.)
Delafield, WI (7.2 mi.)
Wales, WI (8.1 mi.)
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
I have heard rumors that on Halloween the windown repeadivly open and close. Also rumors are that it appears to be haunted because it’s built over a train track. However, the builder of this manor killed his wife sounds more realistic.
In 1873, Col. N. P. Iglehart of Kentucky bought the house and rebuilt it. The restoration included a mortar finish called grout. The roof was crowned with a belvedere, allowing a better view of the lake, village, and the countryside, but it was destroyed in a windstorm in the early 1900s. The house passed through several owners until Margaret Ann Kirley sold the house to her son and current owner, Jeffrey D. Kirley in 1998. It features stucco covered walls and a metal peak in lieu of a cupola. Local lore says that the home was involved in the Underground Railroad and that a tunnel exists from the house east, since sealed. The well is in the basement and rock lined. The Kirleys insist the house is haunted.
The Mystery – Is the House Haunted?
The Pewaukee octagon house is one for an Edgar Allen Poe story.
Legend says the man who built it killed his wife. The truth about the mysterious noises that were heard in the house was that when it was built, communication speaking tubes were placed in the walls. With time, the outlets were covered with wall paper but still transmitted sounds.
But several owners, including the current ones have seen vaporous apparitions and heard footsteps with regularity!!!
Miscellaneous Facts about the House
About 1977, Bruce Phillips and I made a cold call to the Octagon house and bought an open pontilled Binninger Clock figural bottle from the owners. It had been found in the house. After the 2011 Milwaukee Antique Bottle and Advertising Club annual show, Sid and Jeanne Hatch, Peter and Julie Maas and Diane and Henry Hecker were invited by Mr. Kirley to tour the house. Jeff and his mother, Margaret, were gracious tour guides and great custodians of this historical relic. Jeff Kirley told us a story about a day wherethey left the house with the windows open to ventilate some newly painted rooms. A rainstorm blew up while they were gone. When they arrived home, the windows were closed. Later, a neighbor told them he saw a man inside the house close the windows and assumed the Kirleys were home. I went to school with Jeff.
A friend of mine lived in Pewaukee and we would walk past the house to get to downtown Pewaukee. One time, while passing the home, we both tripped at the same time. We looked at each other and started running. When we calmed down we shared that we both felt a hand or obstacle grabbing our lower leg, which caused us to trip. This happened around the summer of 1994 or so.
It is a beautiful home and would love to go back to see it.
When I was a child, around 5 or 6, I visited this house knowing one of the owners children. I recall a feeling of someone else being the dining room despite being the only one inside and seeing a chair seemingly moving on its own. I lived in the cul de sac behind this house (Lakeview Ct) and regularly walked the path between lakeview and high street. I always felt creeped out while passing by and would see lights flickering on and off at night. Needless to say, whether or not my memory was just my imagination as a child or not, a very creepy place!